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Comparing Society In The Scarlet Letter And Anthem, By Ayn Rand

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While reading certain books readers can experience exceptional stories which change the very way we think. Anthem by Ayn Rand follows the life of Equality 7-2512 and the struggle that he goes through living in a repressive society. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne follows the life of Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl in a Puritanical community which has condemned them to live a life in isolation for Hester’s sin. A story must be exceptional enough to justify its telling; it must have something more unusual to relate than the ordinary experience of every average human man or woman. A large presence in both books is that of societies effect on the way people think and act. Equality believes that “there are mysteries” everywhere “but the Council of Scholars said that there are no mysteries”, which he believes because he has been brainwashed to think that “the Council of Scholars know all things”(Rand 23). Showing the repressive nature of this society which made all of their citizens believe that they had discovered everything that there is to know, and thus creating a reason for no one to be curious about the world around them.The society that we live in today can so often repress people’s aspirations in the way they are repressed in Night. After having dealt with her ignominy, Hester “offered up a real sacrifice of enjoyment” …show more content…

All that being said, that doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't a deeper meaning that while we may not be able to connect to our life directly wont give the reader some insight into some portion of their life. Some readers may challenge my view that The Scarlet Letter’s purpose wasn't to show the reader how unfair life can be and how it can also be overcome. Yet, even though that might not have been the purpose for it being written in the first place, it still serves as a good

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